"Jiuli Tribe..." Emperor Yan's words made Zhu Bufan gasp in shock. He was not unfamiliar with the Jiuli Tribe; the Battle of Zhuolu, featuring the Jiuli Tribe led by Chi You against Emperor Xuan Yuan's Yan Huang Tribe, was where it all ended—with Chi You's defeat and the dispersion of the Jiuli Tribe.

If you say that Zhu Bufan would feel unfamiliar about the Jiuli Tribe, then Chi You is a name that any descendant of Yan Huang on the Divine Demon Continent would have heard of. So how could Zhu Bufan not be astonished to hear this tribe's name once again?

To Zhu Bufan's surprise, Emperor Yan didn't even notice, and simply continued on his own accord: "Actually, about the Jiuli Tribe, even I, the Emperor, only learned of this race from many ancient texts. This race is from a time so long ago that if it weren't for the thunder essence swirling in the eyes of those from the Thunder Clan, I would not even dare to determine whether they belonged to the 'Emperor Sui race'. Of course, this is just a speculation, discerned only from their hair color, the lightning in their eyes, and the marks on their bodies. Perhaps there are other similar races in this world; after all, the documents describing the Jiuli are exceedingly rare."

"Emperor Sui race..." Regarding the Jiuli, Zhu Bufan indeed knew only a limited number of them, like Xingtian, Shennong, Hou Yi, Zhu Rong, Gonggong, and Xiang Liu—all members of the Jiuli, but how many there were and what abilities they possessed were beyond Zhu Bufan's knowledge.

"Why is there also a Jiuli Tribe in this world? Could it be led by Chi You as well?" With this question in mind, Zhu Bufan asked Emperor Yan: "Emperor Yan, is this Jiuli Tribe led by Chi You?"

"Chi You?"

Surprised by Zhu Bufan's mention of Chi You, Emperor Yan was initially shocked but soon frowned and said: "The Chi You you mentioned is indeed one of the tribes within the Jiuli, and one of the nine major clans of Jiuli. However, it seems that the nine major clans of the Jiuli govern themselves, and there isn't any single leader among them."

"It's just that I am very curious, you fool, where in the world did you learn about the Chi You tribe from? By all accounts, the history of the Jiuli Tribe has been largely obliterated by deliberate effort, with very little surviving information, which I could only learn a bit about from these scant records. How could you know this? Tell me now!" Saying this, Emperor Yan puffed up her cheeks, making her look more cute than angry, reminiscent of a little girl showing off a new dress to her friends, only to find her friend adorned in a lavish princess gown.

Knowing Emperor Yan wasn't truly angry, Zhu Bufan slyly said to Emperor Yan, "Hehe, I not only know about Chi You, but I also know about Shennong, Fenghou, Xiang Liu, and Gonggong, hehe."

With every name of a Jiuli tribe Zhu Bufan mentioned, Emperor Yan's bright eyes widened a bit more. By the time Zhu Bufan finished, Emperor Yan was almost short-circuiting, "Impossible, how can an ordinary person know so much about the Jiuli Tribe? Tell me, quickly!"

As Emperor Yan and Zhu Bufan bantered behind everyone, Huo Ling and Yue Lan frequently looked back. However, since the two were conversing telepathically, the two women couldn't catch what the two were discussing, and reluctantly suppressed their curiosity. Of course, their primary focus on Zhu Bufan and Emperor Yan was mainly due to Emperor Yan's almost childish tantrum-like expressions when agitated.

Guided by the Thunder Clan, the group hastened their pace. About three hours later, Zhu Bufan and the others entered a stone forest.

Giant dark stalagmites, about ten or more meters tall, stood erect all around on the plain, acting like gigantic lightning rods that absorbed the surrounding lightning, transmitting it into the ground. A multitude of these black stalagmite columns absorbed the lightning, shielding the area from strikes.

"Wait here; this place is not impacted by thunder strikes. We will return to the tribe and report to the Clan Leader. Only with permission can you enter the tribe; otherwise, the Clan Leader won't let you off," Lei Hong said to Zhu Bufan and his group upon reaching the stone forest.

"Alright, we'll wait here," Zhu Bufan and his group had no objections to Lei Hong's request. Obviously, you need to notify someone before entering their home. If Lei Hong didn't inform them before bringing people into the tribe, Zhu Bufan and his companions would indeed be suspicious.

After the three Thunder Clan men left, Zhu Bufan and his companions started meditating under a stone pillar to recover from the fatigue accrued during their journey.

When everyone had finished meditating, half an hour had passed, but the three Thunder Clan men had still not returned. Nearly another half hour passed, and just as Zhu Bufan and the others were growing impatient, Lei Hong's figure finally reappeared before them.

"The Clan Leader has approved your entry into the tribe; follow me," said Lei Hong, seemingly a bit weary. After about ten minutes of walking, Zhu Bufan and others finally entered the territory of the Thunder Clan.

All around the perimeter of the Thunder Clan's tribe were simple stone walls. Once inside, everyone discovered that the Thunder Clan truly lived like primitive people. The paths were populated by people who wrapped animal skins only around essential body parts. Their homes were rudimentary stone houses, roughly built and sturdy but without any decorative motifs, and the styles were quite arbitrary.

Since Zhu Bufan and his companions had arrived, they noticed that the Thunder Clan didn't seem very friendly towards them, with some even showing a slight hostility. It was apparent that they were quite hostile towards humans. Despite not addressing it, everyone couldn't help feeling a bit tense about the guarded and hostile looks they received.

"Yue Lan, why do you think the Thunder Clan seems to dislike us so much?" Zhu Bufan seized a quiet moment to lean over and whisper to Yue Lan.

"Hmph!" Yue Lan glanced at Zhu Bufan, not answering him immediately, which made him think she might not respond. However, after a while, she explained, "Actually, the Thunder Clan wasn't always this hostile towards humans. Although they didn't particularly like humans, they weren't extremely repulsive either."

"But ever since the higher-class humans reached the second layer and discovered some things in the Thunder Marsh Layer, the situation started to change."

"The humans that arrived here tried everything they could to obtain those things from the Thunder Clan, whether by stealing or robbing, threatening or enticing—utterly unscrupulous. These greedy actions of humans eventually angered the Thunder Clan. In fact, not only the Thunder Clan, but the natives of the other layers also experienced similar issues. Since then, the Thunder Clan began to adopt a lethal approach towards greedy humans."

"Is it greed causing trouble again?" Hearing Yue Lan's explanation, Zhu Bufan gave a wry smile. Greed is an everlasting vice of humanity; wherever there are humans, there is greed, and perhaps it's also what propels humans to continually advance.

"What are those things that you're talking about?" After a brief smile, driven by curiosity, Zhu Bufan couldn't help asking Yue Lan. Anything that people would risk their lives to snatch must be extraordinary.

"It's a type of jade found only in the Thunder Marsh Layer, 'Sealing Thunder Clean Jade'!"

"Sealing Thunder Clean Jade? What kind of material is that? I've never heard of it before." Although Zhu Bufan had followed Wu Yingzhong for a while and knew quite a bit about materials, he had never heard of Sealing Thunder Clean Jade.

"Sealing Thunder Clean Jade is a special kind of jade available only in the Thunder Marsh Layer. Strictly speaking, it's not just simple jade. If a cultivator holds the Sealing Thunder Clean Jade, they can directly extract Primordial Qi from within it. It means that as long as one holds a piece of Sealing Thunder Clean Jade, they can continuously replenish their Primordial Qi until all the Spiritual Energy within the jade is depleted. Moreover, for those who have just started their cultivation journey, if they practice with Sealing Thunder Clean Jade, their cultivation will advance rapidly. Can you see why they would covet such jade?"

After hearing Yue Lan's explanation, Zhu Bufan truly gasped in astonishment. He felt a strong desire to possess the Sealing Thunder Clean Jade. For instance, the reason why he could afford to use the Chenjiang Duanliu Break against enemies was primarily because Wang Hui provided him with Returning Qi Pills. Without these pills, using an Earth Rank martial technique in combat would be a luxury for him. Although Returning Qi Pills could replenish Primordial Qi, continuously taking them during a battle would rapidly diminish their effectiveness, an unavoidable fact.

Moreover, consuming elixirs during combat would inevitably require stopping to administer them, thereby often missing the opportunity to pursue the enemy or giving the enemy a chance to stabilize their formation. However, with Sealing Thunder Clean Jade, these issues would not exist. In other words, if Zhu Bufan could continuously replenish his Primordial Qi with Sealing Thunder Clean Jade, he could unleash the Chenjiang Duanliu without any time limit—that would be incredibly powerful.

"Hehe, it seems you also have the heart of greed. Hearing what you just said, I thought you were so noble and great, but it turns out you're just as greedy," Yue Lan remarked, seeing the glint in Zhu Bufan's eyes and knowing he had also taken an interest in the Sealing Thunder Clean Jade. She sneered disdainfully at him.

"Hehe, greed is a natural inclination of humans; I can't escape it either," Zhu Bufan chuckled. "If there really is a person who can control their greed in the face of extreme temptation, it's either because that person has enough confidence that they can still obtain the benefits with their own hands, or the temptation isn't enough to truly move them. Unfortunately, the Sealing Thunder Clean Jade has deeply touched me, both from the perspective of a cultivator and an artifact refiner."

Seeing that Zhu Bufan was indifferent to her mockery, Yue Lan simply snorted quietly. Meanwhile, as the two conversed, the group had arrived at a massive stone house. In front of this house stood several Thunder Clan members, wearing crude 'armor' and 'weapons' fashioned from demon beast carapaces and bodies.

"Wait here; I'm going to report to the Clan Leader," Lei Hong said, halting his steps and entering the large stone house, leaving Zhu Bufan and the others waiting under the watchful eyes of the armored Thunder Clan members.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.